it.
His stomach turned over a little at that fierce gleam in her eyes. He really hoped there wasn't a story to be had, or at least not one that would be damning to his grandmother.
But that was ridiculous, he told himself. His grandmother was completely herself today. If she had a secret, she wouldn't reveal it now—would she?
Chapter Nine
Olivia pulled out a small notebook and a pen and glanced around the group, giving each of the women an encouraging smile. Ginnie Culpepper, the outgoing redhead sat next to the quieter brunette Constance Baker, and Eleanor introduced the fourth woman as Lucy Hodges, another one of the actors from the Center Stage Theater Group. Lucy was an attractive blonde who appeared to be at least seven or eight years younger than the other women.
"We spoke briefly yesterday about your theater group yesterday," Olivia said. "I'd like to know more about it."
"We were very good," Eleanor said with a proud smile. "But we were amateurs until we recruited Lucy, who was a legitimate actress, for our first play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Lucy played Blanche, and I played Stella. It was such a dark story with love, sex, desire, and infidelity. It was rather shocking but also exciting."
Olivia could clearly see the passion in Eleanor's eyes as she spoke about the theater.
"I loved being on stage," Eleanor continued. "It reminded me of when I was a little girl in Ireland. I was a child actress until I was ten. My mother was an actress, too. She took me with her to an audition once, and she didn't get the job, but I did. I think that always bothered her." Eleanor looked at Colton. "Did I ever tell you that?"
"No, you did not," he said, giving her a surprised look. "I had no idea you liked performing."
"It was a wonderful time," Eleanor said. "I got to play so many interesting characters. When I stepped on stage, I left my real life behind."
"It was great," Ginnie agreed. "And it was quite a change from our normal boring lives of carpools and bake sales and soccer games."
"Was it ever hard to go back to real life?" Olivia asked.
Eleanor immediately shook her head. "I was a mother with five children. I had a lot of fun playing someone else on stage, but I knew who I was when the curtain went down. Sometimes it took a few minutes to regroup, but by the time I got home I was Mom again."
"We only put on the shows during the summer," Constance added. "It was the one time of the year we could justify not volunteering at school. We were all stay-at-home moms with husbands who supported us. We were supposed to be home with the children."
Olivia nodded, thinking about her own mother and how she'd taken for granted that her mom would always be there when she came home from school. She wondered if her mom had ever wanted to step away from that role, if only for a few moments. Maybe she'd have to ask her.
Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to the group. "What about Molly? Did she enjoy the plays even though she wasn't on stage?"
"Oh, she loved putting those costumes together," Eleanor said. "She used to make her children clothes, but they always had to be a certain way. With the costumes, she could make crazy patterns and shapes and they looked amazing."
"Why didn't you find another place to run the plays after the theater burned down?" she asked.
Her question created a tense silence, and she saw a flurry of looks move around the circle.
"It had just run its course," Eleanor said.
"We were all getting grief from our husbands and families for spending so much time at the theater, too," Ginnie put in. "It would have been difficult to get them to support starting over somewhere else and having to reinvent everything all over again."
"Some things just end," Constance said.
"It was sad, though," Lucy muttered.
Olivia looked around the group, a little puzzled at how the conversation had suddenly fizzled out. They'd been so excited to talk and now they seemed to have no words. "But what
His stomach turned over a little at that fierce gleam in her eyes. He really hoped there wasn't a story to be had, or at least not one that would be damning to his grandmother.
But that was ridiculous, he told himself. His grandmother was completely herself today. If she had a secret, she wouldn't reveal it now—would she?
Chapter Nine
Olivia pulled out a small notebook and a pen and glanced around the group, giving each of the women an encouraging smile. Ginnie Culpepper, the outgoing redhead sat next to the quieter brunette Constance Baker, and Eleanor introduced the fourth woman as Lucy Hodges, another one of the actors from the Center Stage Theater Group. Lucy was an attractive blonde who appeared to be at least seven or eight years younger than the other women.
"We spoke briefly yesterday about your theater group yesterday," Olivia said. "I'd like to know more about it."
"We were very good," Eleanor said with a proud smile. "But we were amateurs until we recruited Lucy, who was a legitimate actress, for our first play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Lucy played Blanche, and I played Stella. It was such a dark story with love, sex, desire, and infidelity. It was rather shocking but also exciting."
Olivia could clearly see the passion in Eleanor's eyes as she spoke about the theater.
"I loved being on stage," Eleanor continued. "It reminded me of when I was a little girl in Ireland. I was a child actress until I was ten. My mother was an actress, too. She took me with her to an audition once, and she didn't get the job, but I did. I think that always bothered her." Eleanor looked at Colton. "Did I ever tell you that?"
"No, you did not," he said, giving her a surprised look. "I had no idea you liked performing."
"It was a wonderful time," Eleanor said. "I got to play so many interesting characters. When I stepped on stage, I left my real life behind."
"It was great," Ginnie agreed. "And it was quite a change from our normal boring lives of carpools and bake sales and soccer games."
"Was it ever hard to go back to real life?" Olivia asked.
Eleanor immediately shook her head. "I was a mother with five children. I had a lot of fun playing someone else on stage, but I knew who I was when the curtain went down. Sometimes it took a few minutes to regroup, but by the time I got home I was Mom again."
"We only put on the shows during the summer," Constance added. "It was the one time of the year we could justify not volunteering at school. We were all stay-at-home moms with husbands who supported us. We were supposed to be home with the children."
Olivia nodded, thinking about her own mother and how she'd taken for granted that her mom would always be there when she came home from school. She wondered if her mom had ever wanted to step away from that role, if only for a few moments. Maybe she'd have to ask her.
Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to the group. "What about Molly? Did she enjoy the plays even though she wasn't on stage?"
"Oh, she loved putting those costumes together," Eleanor said. "She used to make her children clothes, but they always had to be a certain way. With the costumes, she could make crazy patterns and shapes and they looked amazing."
"Why didn't you find another place to run the plays after the theater burned down?" she asked.
Her question created a tense silence, and she saw a flurry of looks move around the circle.
"It had just run its course," Eleanor said.
"We were all getting grief from our husbands and families for spending so much time at the theater, too," Ginnie put in. "It would have been difficult to get them to support starting over somewhere else and having to reinvent everything all over again."
"Some things just end," Constance said.
"It was sad, though," Lucy muttered.
Olivia looked around the group, a little puzzled at how the conversation had suddenly fizzled out. They'd been so excited to talk and now they seemed to have no words. "But what
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